Tech Job Market Flourishes in Silicon Valley and Beyond

From north to south, California has more to offer tech professionals than just Silicon Valley.

While the overall labor market in the U.S. continues to limp forward, the tech industry is showing more vigorous signs of growth, and in some places around the country where it wouldn't necessarily be expected, according to the March tech employment report from IT jobs specialist Dice.

"After two years of continuous improvement in recruitment activity on Dice, tech is a market-by-market story," the company s report noted.

There are certainly many available tech jobs in traditional centers like Silicon Valley, New York or Seattle, as the report shows, but other cities continue to join the party--creating possible opportunities for tech professionals in other regions. The fastest-growing cities for tech jobs are as varied as their geographic locations. In Houston, Texas, tech job postings on Dice (up 37 percent year-over-year) received a boost from the oil and gas industry's strength.

Compare that to Portland, Ore., which placed sixth. It is often called the "Greenest City," where the emergence of cloud and virtualization jobs is contributing to its current growth.

Raleigh, N.C., tops Dice's list of fastest-growing cities for tech jobs. With more than 1,100 opportunities on any given day (up 50 percent year-over-year), tech professionals in Raleigh enjoy a broad base of possibilities, including current openings at banks and nearby universities, the report said. Following Raleigh was Richmond, Va., which posted a 40 percent year-over-year rise in tech jobs, followed by Houston and Sacramento, Calif.

From north to south, California has more to offer tech professionals than just Silicon Valley. In Sacramento, firms in health care and technology are hiring, and tech paychecks have jumped 6 percent year-over-year to $87,000 on average. In San Diego, tech salaries average more than $85,000 annually, while defense and aerospace companies are recruiting.

Not to be outdone, Missouri also has two cities on the list. Kansas City-based tech professionals can expect to take home more than $75,000 a year (up 13 percent year-over-year), and job opportunities can be found at financial services and legal firms. In St. Louis, where manufacturing and health care companies are looking for tech talent, yearly tech salaries hover around $71,000. The only top 10 tech market to also make the fastest-growing city list is Boston, with more than 3,300 job postings on Dice, up 24 percent year-over-year. Annual tech salaries increased 2 percent to more than $88,000 on average.

The New York/New Jersey Metro area remained the top metropolitan location for technology jobs, with 9,195 jobs posted as of March 1, a 6 percent rise from the same period last year. The Washington, D.C./Baltimore area followed with 8,289 jobs, a 2 percent increase, followed by Silicon Valley, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle and Philadelphia.

"It's important for tech professionals to remember with growing opportunities comes expanding options--if you're willing to be flexible about where you live," said Tom Silver, Dice vice president for North America. "Consider going for that promotion, asking for a raise, or changing it up and finding that new opportunity."